John Leguizamo Calls Out Colorism in Hollywood

We’d have made some progress in relation to various illustration in mainstream movies and tv, however we nonetheless have a really lengthy approach to go. That is particularly the case in relation to how the Latinx group is depicted in Hollywood. John Leguizamo just lately spoke up concerning the colorism problem that also very a lot exists inside Latinx communities and the way it typically impacts casting.

“There’s colorism within Latin culture that we have to fix, however there’s colorism in Hollywood, too,” Leguizamo tells Nick Barili in his new collection, “Seen,” which is in collaboration with the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences. Like most communities of colour, the Latinx group is usually handled and portrayed like a monolithic group. We nonetheless do not see sufficient Black Latinx illustration in movie and tv, and barely can we ever see Indigenous Latinx representation in Hollywood in any respect. The few instances we do see Latinx actors in main roles, they’re typically instances white Latinxs or no less than comparatively light skinned. Leguizamo admits that he is benefited from being a light-skinned Latino, a lot in order that he really went out of his approach to keep away from getting darker in order that he may land these roles and transfer up in Hollywood.

“I’ve benefited from being gentle pores and skin, and I stayed out of the solar so I may work. I positively wouldn’t go within the solar,” he says. “For years I used to be so pasty so I may work. All of the Latinos who’ve made it to date, plenty of them have been gentle skinned. What occurred to all of the Afro-Latinos and the vast majority of Indigenous Latinos? They do not get a shot.”

Leguizamo, who started his profession within the early ’80s, even talked about an incident the place a task he had landed was then taken away from him as a result of a Latina actress was later solid and so they “could not have two Latin folks within the film as a result of then it turns into a Latin film.” If Leguizamo, who’s a comparatively light-skinned Latino, needed to be acutely aware of taking solar and getting darker with a view to get roles, think about how a lot more durable it has been for Black and Indigenous Latinx actors simply to get their foot within the door. There is a purpose why Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s movie adaptation of “In The Heights” received so much backlash and criticism, and it is as a result of the movie did not solid any dark-skinned Black Latinx actors in lead roles. A movie about Washington Heights, a neighborhood that encompass predominately Afro-Dominicans, failed to truly painting that. Somebody from Kentucky who is aware of nothing about Dominicans and is aware of nothing about Washington Heights may have watched that film and nonetheless don’t know that Black Latinxs even exist. It is even worse in relation to Indigenous Latinx illustration, even though there are 50 million individuals who determine as Indigenous and are part of 500 different ethnic groups throughout Latin America. Yalitza Aparicio just lately appeared in a Huluween horror brief movie, “Hijas De Brujas,” by Mexican director Faride Schroeder, however it was the primary function we have seen her in since “Roma” in 2018. Why did it take an Oscar-nominated actress that lengthy to land work once more? In the meantime, Rachel Zegler, who performs Maria within the remake of Steven Spielberg‘s “West Side Story” remake, was solid to play “Snow White” in the live-action film even earlier than “West Facet Story” was out. She’s been tremendous clear about her privilege being a white Latina and the way she is aware of it is helped her land roles that will be a lot more durable for darker-skinned Latinxs to land.

We’re slowly seeing higher illustration of Black Latinxs, like with Ariana DeBose’s role as Anita in Spielberg’s remake of “West Facet Story” and Rome Flynn within the Latinx rom-com collection “With Love.” However we definitely nonetheless have miles to go.